Jenny’s Pennies

French writer, economist and psychoanalyst Corinne Maier, author of Bonjour Laziness, in which she encouraged workers to do as little as possible, has written another provocative book: No Kid: 40 Reasons Not to Have Children. Now it’s here in Swedish and Svenska Dagbladet has picked up the story.

On her list of reasons not to have kids are that they will kill your sex life, force you to eat junk food, and kill the dreams of your youth. From what I’ve heard about Maier’s last book, I think a lot of it is tongue in cheek - she uses humor and irony and exaggerations. Granted, I haven’t read either of the books, but I have skimmed through a bunch of comments and reviews and many of them are appalled that she is taking on the biggest taboo of them all: regretting having children. You see, Maier is a mother herself.

You know, I do think some of us childfree-by-choice people sometimes use an overly insulting rhetoric, but bear in mind that it is a reply to a society in which, especially if we are women, are constantly belittled, pitied, questioned and deprived of our agency, and sometimes even blamed for the demise of civilization. Just look at some of these comments on Svenska Dagbladet’s article on Maier’s book:

Immoral not to have children
To all those who think they have the right to chose not to have children. The classical question “what would happen if everyone did as I do” is pretty sharp. It’s hard for a fully healthy human being to morally defend the decision not to have children just because you can’t be bothered. We human beings exist because we have an ability and an urge to procreate. Those who don’t contribute to that even though you could, leech on us who have children and endured the first 8-10 tough years.

Well, how is this for a moral defense of not having children: every child should be wanted and loved, and forcing people to have them against their will isn’t really a recipe for that. And saying that you had to “endure” the first 8-10 years: that isn’t recruiting me either (and if your kid’s childhood was something you had to “endure”, well, maybe they had to “endure” it as well).

Evil
This woman have been manipulated by the feminists. For these feminist, the woman should become like a man and not have anything to do with children at all. It is the most terrible thing that can happen when the women are becoming more and more like men and won’t take care of the children. It is actually pure evil!!!

Yes, because once the manly man has spread his seed, the sole responsibility for the children lays with the woman. And it’s not like feminists ever have children. And it’s not like it’s the feminists who have been, and still are, working with issues relating to childbearing and parenthood, such as health care, parental leave, better education, daycare and preschools. But thanks for telling me I am actually pure evil. BTW, speaking of evil…

See through the propaganda!
For decades there have been propaganda saying that Europeans shouldn’t have children. The people behind this should be exposed for what they are, treacherous Marxists and cosmopolitans with a Europe-hostile agenda. This propaganda are mostly directed towards white western women who are encouraged to “fulfill themselves” and live some kind of teenage life until well over 40, and when they realize that they want children after all, then it’s too late.

Are you comfortable in that tin-foil hat?
I have known for years that I don’t want any children, I can’t tell you when it first dawned on me, but I was definitely a young teenager (maybe even younger). But thanks for letting me know that it was some sneaky Marxists and cosmopolitans out to destroy civilization who brainwashed me in to it. So, did they place subliminal messages in the horse magazines I read or in the Pippi Longstocking TV-series?

Seriously though, by choosing not to have children, I am not stripping you of your choice (conscious or unconscious) to have them. Your life is in no way affected by my choice in this matter. And unlike others, I am not constantly trying to talk, scare or shame people over to my side.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 1st, 2008 at 9:14 pm and is filed under Books, Childfree by choice, Feminism, Reproductive rights. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.